Registration Now Open for SPG Double Play Promotion
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Starwood Preferred Guest just opened registration for their new first quarter promotion of 2015 which is SPG Double Play, where SPG members will earn double Starpoints on eligible stays (those that earn Starpoints, i.e. paid nights) of two or more consecutive nights. This is for stays between January 5-April 15, 2015.
Only base Starpoints – so 2x points per $1 – are doubled. Not elite-level bonus points or those earned by paying with a Starwood co-branded credit card.
Here's where the double play part comes in: registered members are also eligible to receive a 1,000-Starpoint bonus for every eligible five nights between January 5-April 15, and these nights do not need to be consecutive.
The two possible bonuses are:
-Double Starpoints calculated on base Starpoints earned on eligible stays of two or more consecutive nights
-1,000 bonus Starpoints for every five eligible nights up to 4,000 maximum
There is no limit to the number of double bonus points you can earn during this period, but you can only earn those incremental 1,000-point bonuses up to a maximum of four times (so beyond staying 20 nights, you will not earn any more of them).
Note: there is a list of about 100 non-participating hotels so before you book any stays, be sure to reference this list to see if you will indeed earn bonus points.
Worth It?
This promo doesn't blow me away, and is not much different from Starwood's recent More For You double/triple points promo. The difference here is that instead of earning 3x points on stays that include a Friday/Saturday night, you get 1,000 bonus points for every 5 nights of stays.
To be honest, I was more excited about SPG's two one-off promos where you can earn 500 points per stay up to three stays for booking through the SPG app now through March 31; and the 500 points you could have earned for updating your SPG profile preferences this fall.
However, earning a base of 4 Starpoints per dollar is a pretty decent return on your spending. I value Starpoints at about 2.4 cents apiece, so that is like getting at least a 4.8% return on your spending.
As a 100+ night Platinum elite myself, I could be earning up to 8x Starpoints per dollar myself with the 4x from this promo, plus 2x more bonus points per $1 with my status and another 2x points per dollar when using my Starwood Amex, which is enough to keep me interested.
[card card-name='Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express' card-id='22034416' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.